Collapsible tent



May 21, 1957 A. E. CLARK 2,792,844

COLLAPSIBLE TENT Filed Aug. '5, 1953 .Z'zvnsvvrok: ART/1w? .E. CLARK United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE TENT Arthur E. Clark, Venice, Calif.

Application August 3, 1953, Serial No. 372,089

1 Claim. (Cl. 135-1) This invention relates generally to camping tents and more particularly to a tent of relatively small size capable of being carried on the back of a hiker or camper and quickly set up on the ground for sleeping purposes.

Various types of sleeping tents have been proposed in the past for providing comfort and protection against weather conditions, insects, etc., for the person sleeping upon the ground. Such prior tents have included a plurality of staves, over which is secured a hood or roof of canvas or other water-resistant material. Since such tents are not self-sustaining, it has been necessary to utilize an auxiliary frame-like support in the nature of a pair of vertical poles driven into the ground and a reach pole extending between the upper ends of the vertical poles and over which the roof material is draped. As will be apparent, such a tent has several disadvantages, one of which is that considerable time and effort is required to set up the tent for use and this is frequently of great importance, particularly where the hiker is fatigued and the ground is hilly and/or rocky. In addition, it has been found that such tents are quite apt to collapse when subjected to winds of high velocity which may cause disconnection of the reach pole from the end poles, particularly where the wind is allowed to enter the tent through ventilation openings. Another disadvantage resides in the fact that the tent, having once been set up for use, is immobile except by first disassembling its parts, so that the tent cannot readily be moved to a new location to escape a wind or other storm which may develop during the night. Moreover, such a tent is of a relatively heavy nature and cannot be folded into a real compact unit, the inclusion of the supporting poles in the folded tent resulting in a cumbersome package which impedes free movement of the hiker in maneuvering up and down steep slopes, over rocks, brush, fences, etc.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved tent, of the general class discussed above, which is extremely simple in construction and highly practical in use, and one which is self-sustaining so that the need for extraneous supporting and hold-down devices, such as end poles, a reach pole, or stakes, is effectively avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tent, of the character referred to, which consists primarily of an elongate, tapered, coil spring frame having convolutions of substantially semi-circular configuration, and a light-weight, water-proof tubular covering secured to and completely enclosing the spring frame, said tubular covering being closed at one end. In accordance with another object and feature of the invention, the selfsustaining tent structure is constructed of a size capable of receiving a sleepingbag into which the camper may slide through the open end of the tent. By the improved structure outlined above, the tent-is made self-opening, due to the inherent expansibility of the spring frame so that upon arriving at the camp site, the tent is released to allow it to expand rapidly to its operative size and shape. After use, the tent is contracted into a small, compact unit suitable for carrying on the back.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tent, of the class referred to, having means for closing the open end thereof, said means being in the nature of an insect netting. A related object is to provide means by which the tent may be retained in its folded condition, said means also serving as shoulder straps for facilitating carrying the tent unit on the back.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description and from the drawing, which is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved tent in extended, operative condition;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the tent, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the tent in its folded or collapsed condition;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the same; and

Fig. 5 is a view of the folded tent, showing it applied, in the manner of a knapsack, to the back of the camper.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my improved tent includes a frame which, as shown, consists of a coil spring which may be approximately six or seven feet long, the coils or convolutions 11 of the spiral being of gradually reduced size from the head end 12 to the foot end 13 of the tent. As shown in Fig. 2, each coil of the spring frame 10 provides a rib and is substantially semicircular in outline, having a straight, horizontal base portion 14, substantially straight side portions 15 and a rounded, dome-like, upper portion 16. The spring frame may be constructed either from resilient wire or fiat strip tubular cover 20, is tapered to conform to the taper of the frame 10 and its end of smallest girth is carried over the corresponding end of the frame and secured thereto to close this foot end 13 of the tent. Secured in place against this end of the tent are cushions 22 which serve the function to be later explained, said cushions preferably consisting of blocks of sponge rubber encased in waterproof fabric. Also attached to the end 13 are upper and lower pairs of straps 23 and 24, the upper straps carrying pads 25 and having free ends insertable through buckles 26 at the free ends of the other straps.

At the opposite open end 12 of the tent, a screen 28, in the form of a piece of mosquito netting, is secured to the upper portion 16 of the first, largest rib 11 of the frame, said netting being adapted to be extended across the open end of the tent with its lower edge tucked under the base portion 14 of said rib. The upper portion of the tubular cover 26 may be extended beyond the head end 12 of the tent in a strip or flap 29, if desired, may be used as a canopy. The lower portion of the cover is also extended to provide a similar flap 30.

As previously indicated, the tent is designed primarily as a protection for a single camper who slides into the tent through its open head end 12. To provide additional protection, and warmth, a conventional sleeping bag 33 may be inserted into the tent through the open end 12. With the tent in its extended condition, and placed upon the ground, as shown in Fig. 1, the camper simply slides into the sleeping bag within the tent, after which the insect netting 28 is drawn across the open end of the tent. In the event of extremely low temperatures, or inclement weather conditions, either or both flaps 29, 30 may be drawn partly across the opening.

With the camper in place, the tent provides complete protection against adverse weather conditions, such as rain and wind, and against insects, such as mosquitos.

Patented May 21, 1957 The comfortable qualities of a conventional "sleeping-bag are well known and it will be apparent that the combination sleeping .bag and tent covering make for great comfort "and restful sleep while at thesam'e timeiaffordinga high degree of protection for the camper. It is 'to be particularly noted thatthe particular cross-sectional shape ofthe tentprovidesfln effect, "a structure of the Quonset hut type. Due to this 'streamdine contour, "the structure is capable of withstanding winds of'high velocity, such as are frequently experienced at'high altitudes on mountains. If-for any reason, it becomes advisable to shift the tent to a more sheltered area during the night, the camper "simply slides out from the tent, moves the tent to the new location and 'thenre-entersthetent. Should the occasion arise "where ianchoring f the tent to the ground may be 'advisable,-the straps '23 and 24 may be secured to stakes driven into the ground, or around a rock'or'the trunk of a'small tree.

Upon awakening .in the morning, the camper simply slides out from the 'sleeping'bag and tent and when *he is ready to resume his hiking .he folds the tent into a compact unit in the manner 'next'explained. To fold the tent, the camper merely contractsthe tent lengthwise, the coils or spiral ribs 11 of the'frame 10 yieldingto permit this action. The contracting of the 'tentmay be accomplished'by holding it upright with the small end 13 resting upon the ground and then forcing-the larger end 12 downwardly to compress the spring frame 10. During this contraction of the tent, the cover becomes accordion-pleated between the ribs 11 as shown in Fig. 3. It is also to be noted that the sleeping bag, which remains in the tent, is likewise contracted and pleated. A rope or'strap 35 is then drawn around the collapsed tent as indicated in Fig. 4 to provide a very compact and relatively light weight unit.

With the tent thus collapsed and tied, various articles 36, such as food, clothing, utensils, etc., may be placed against the side of the unit and held in place by the top and bottom flaps 29 and 30 which are folded over the articles, as shown in Fig. 5, with their ends suitably secured to the folded cover 20. The ends of the straps 23 and 24 are next joined together by means of the buckles 26 to provide loops through which the arms of the camper are inserted to mount the entire assembly on his back. The unit thus is, in'etfecna knapsack which may be carried with ease when the camper resumes his hiking The soft cushions 22 and pads rest against the back and shoulders so as to cushion the load, minimize fatigue and prevent chafing of'the skin.

Upon arriving at a new camp site, the camper again sets up the tent for use, the procedure being the reverse of that outlined above. That is to say, the straps 23 and 24, and the flaps 29 and 30 are disconnected. With the articles 36 thus unloaded, the rope or strap is removed, thus releasing the coils of the spring frame 10. At this time, the largest coil 11 at the end 12 is held between the hands and'the helical frame is allowed to expand axially to the shape illustrated in Fig. 1, this movement also causing the cover 20 to be stretched out as shown in this view to prepare the tent for use. It is thus seen that the tent is automatically set up for use and is, therefore, self-opening.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the pre ent improved tent has many highly desirable qualities which are not inherent in sleeping tents proposed in the past. To recapitulate, the tent is extremely simple in construction and "thus may "be manufactured -and "sold at a low cost. Due to its tubular or bag-like nature, the tent is self-sustaining and requires no stakes, poles or ropes to retain it in position during use so that it may be quickly set up without anchoring means of any kind. It has been shown that the tent is weather proof and insect proof, and due to its streamline or Quonset hut shape it is capable of withstanding winds of high velocity even though it is not anchored to the ground; and due to its hollow, air-tight covering, it has been found that the wind does not penetrate inwardly beyond a few inches from theopen end of the tent. As another important feature, the tent is very light in weight, on the order of approximately three pounds, and thus may be carried about without fatigue on the part of the hiker. Since the tent is a self-contained unit and has no extraneous supporting and anchoring devices, it is collapsible into a very compact, fiatpackage which may be .stored in a very small space in an automobile, or conveniently carried upon the back of a person. By providing the attached straps andpads, the collapsed tent may be supported on the back, in the manner of a knapsack and may serve as a holder .for other camping articles. The improved tent is therefore especially suitable for use by hikers, hunters, Boy Scouts and military personnel.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I'have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the tent structure which I new consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but .I desire tohave it understood that .the tentshown isonly illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by modified means.

I claim asmy invention:

including an elongate normally extended coil spring having head and foot ends and a plurality of longitudinally.

spaced coils, each coil being of progressively smaller perimetric al size from the head end of the spring to the foot end thereof and having a straight horizontally disposed bottom portion extending substantially transverse the longitudinal axis of the spring and an arcu-ate upper portion, an elongate substantially tubular flexible cover enclosing said spring and having its ends secured to the coils at the ends of the spring a pad secured to and .closing the foot end of the spring and cover, said tent being yieldingly collapsibe longitudinally with said coils assum ing a side-by-side relationship with each other and with the cover folded therebetween, means for securing the tent in said collapsed position, and shoulder straps connected to the pad at the foot end of the tent by Which the collapsed tent can be supported on the back of a person in the manner of aknapsack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

